HEALTH: Do the bathroom scales tell lies?

Sue Taylor

When it comes to ‘losing weight’ for years we have been told that the only way to monitor progress is by jumping on the bathroom scales.

Some people may find this useful, others (like me) will find it frustrating, confusing and often demoralising.

After spending literally YEARS being ruled by what the scales told me, I currently have no idea what I weigh, and I haven’t owned a pair of bathroom scales for at least eight years.

What I do know however is how I feel daily in terms of my energy levels.

I know if my clothes are too tight, what my skin looks like, how well I exercise and how quickly I recover from it.

I know if I feel confident, if I am sleeping soundly or not and how well I am doing looking after my stress levels.

The scales don’t give you any of the above information.

You are more than the number on the scales, that is for sure.

For me, all the scales did were make me feel like a failure; what they told me either made me feel fantastic (if they said I had ‘lost weight’) or dreadful (if they said I had put weight on). I let the number on the scale define me as a person.

The thing is, the scales tell lies.

We can easily fluctuate 6lbs or more between what we weighed at night and what we weigh the next morning due to hormone imbalances and of course water retention.

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to throw your scales away and simply go by how you feel and how your clothes fit instead?

Being healthy is about so much more than the number on the scales. My advice would be to focus on your health rather than a number.

Make sure you are eating a wholefood diet, staying well hydrated, taking regular consistent exercise and looking after those stress levels.

For more help or advise contact Sue at info@isleloseit.com or visit http://isleloseit.com

Stay healthy!

* Isle Lose It hosts an open camp every Sunday between 9.30-10.15am. The sessions are suitable for those who are already exercising regularly at intermediate and advanced levels. See the website for details.